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WSI ENews...Serving Hunters' and Landowners' Needs Since 1987
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-WSI Editorial
I recently agreed to write a three-part series for Texas Wildlife Association's magazine Texas Wildlife, to appear in the Hunting Heritage section of this magazine. The article below is reprinted with permission from Texas Wildlife Association. I hope you will find as much enjoyment from reading this articles, as I did from writing it.
Preserving Our Hunting Heritage - Part I
The Saga and the Model
Hunters and hunting has long been the engine for success of wildlife in North America. Shamefully, much of our American population has little or no understanding of how this came to be, and consequently, have little appreciation of the integral role that hunters play in wildlife conservation.
This article serves as the first of a three-part series, with the genesis of this work based on concerns about the destiny of our hunting heritage and the dire consequences for our wildlife resources should our public lose touch with the importance of hunting in the wildlife conservation equation.
For the full article click here....
Fall hunting seasons are rapidly approaching. I must say that I'm looking forward to some cooler weather. It's not too late to get something scheduled with us for the upcoming months, so give us a shout if you get the itch.
Peace Out,
Greg Simons
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Rebooking Policy
For those hunters who want to rebook "their" spot for the following year, a $300 refundable reservation fee is due within 30 days of completion of the hunt. Once we have the hunt details finalized for the next season, the remainder of the first 50% is due to confirm booking, and if for any reason the hunter chooses not to book, then the $300 reservation fee is refunded. If you know that you would like to rebook, please let us know ASAP so we can plan accordingly.
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Nilgai Antelope Hunts
Our camps on the H. Yturria Ranches will be opening back up in September, so if you would like to consider scheduling a nilgai antelope hunt in the next few months, now is the time to do so.
 | | Texas Nilgai Hunt, Wildlife Systems, February 2011 |
These big strong beasts, from India, offer an extremely challenging and exciting hunting experience. Often referred to as blue bulls because of the bluish hue that mature bulls take on, nilgai are wary animals that often spook at the drop of a hat. They are incredibly hard to bring down and the ranch has a policy that the caliber must be a minimum of a .300 mag, and well constructed bullets are also recommended, such a partition or A-frame type bullet.
These 2.5 day, 3 night packages take place out of two H. Yturria Ranch camps, with the primary camp being described as one of an African safari facade which is cut out of the native south Texas brush in a wild setting and features six individual chalets, bunkhouse with kitchen and large dining/lounging area, and a comfortable screened in porch to enjoy your lunch. A large fire pit is where your culinary meats will be flame broiled and where you can enjoy your evening drink under the bright Texas stars.
A modest price of $2595 includes your guide ( 1 x 1 for smaller groups and 1.5 x 1 on larger groups), meals, and we skin, cape, and quarter your bulls. Nilgai meat is excellent game fare and you can have the bull fully processed at your expense at a local commercial processor.
We hunt four divisions of the Yturria Ranch in total, and other animals available as an add-on or as a separate hunt all together, are scimitar horned oryx, gemsbok, beisa oryx, lechwe, white bearded gnu (wildebeest), zebra, springbok, hogs, and javelina.
We also conduct whitetail deer and turkey hunts here as well. Most nilgai hunts take place in January - April, but let us know if you would like to look at alternative time periods like late September and October.
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Gun Readiness
It is surprising how many hunters spend thousands of dollars to go on a hunting trip, but spend little or no time at the rifle range in preparation for their trip.
In order to maximize your efforts, and in fairness to ethics at ensuring a quick kill and minimizing the possibility of losing a crippled animal, we highly recommend that you spend some time properly preparing for your hunt. Here are a few suggestions.
1. Use an adequate caliber. On our La Rucia and Oxbow whitetail hunts, you should have no less than a 130 grain bullet, and on Yturria whitetail hunts, you must have 150 grain bullets according to ranch rules. On nilgai, we require a minimum of a .300 caliber.
2. Avoid highly expandable bullets, such as certain ballistic tips and hollow points. Partions, A-Frames, and bullets that retain the majority of their mass are preferred on our big game hunts.
3. Shoot at least 20 rounds through your gun in preparation for your hunt, with at least two different trips to the range. You are not simply making sure that your gun is sighted in, but you are also practicing, becoming familiar with your trigger pull, follow through, breathing control, etc.
4. The most common mistake that we see our hunters make is having their gun sighted in too high at 100 yards. Please have it dead on at 100 yards. If you happen to have to take a 300 yard shot, which our clients rarely do, you can hold your horizontal cross-hair on the top of the back and that will put you in the money with most big-game calibers.
5. Always check your gun when you get to your hunting destination, just to make sure that all is still good to go.
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02 Ranch Mule Deer Hunts
We recently acquired mule deer hunting rights for the 2011 season on the famous 02 Ranch south of Alpine, Texas. This entire property encompasses over 250,000 acres and we will be conducting these hunts on a parcel that is just shy of 100,000 acres and was not hunted for mule deer last season.
 | | 02 Ranch Aoudad Hunt 2011 |
Additionally, under a special permit, this will be the first year this property has been hunted during the peak of the rut. Facilities are modest, but do provide your basic creature comforts.
As many of you know, it is very rare for us to have any mule deer openings due to their popularity, and in fact, we have a lengthy waiting list, and this waiting list is how we filled 6 of the 8 spots on the 02 Ranch. The 2 remaining openings are for December 27 (noon) through Dec. 31 (noon). Cost is $5450 for a 2 x 1 guided hunt, with an additional $600 for 1 x 1 upgrade. This covers meals and lodging. There may be an opportunity to add a free-range aoudad onto this hunt for an additional $2700 trophy fee. These spots will not last long.
Above and below are photos of mule deer harvested from the 02 Ranch over the past few years.
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Wildlife Systems, Inc.
325-655-0877
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Payment Policy
To secure your booking, a 50% deposit is required. Balance due 30 days prior to the hunt. Credit card payments are acceptable, but amount will be adjusted by 3%. On any trophy fee hunts, such as some exotics, where final payment takes place at time of hunt, payment must be made in the form of cash or credit card. No exceptions, please.
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